Americans Back Immigration Proposals

Posted on May 25, 2007

While opposition in Washington to the new immigration bill spans the political spectrum, the major proposals of the legislation find widespread support among the American people, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll. A majority of Republicans, Democrats and independents say they support reforms to the immigration system, including the eventual legalization of immigrants and a guest worker program.

New York Times:

As opponents from the right and left challenge an immigration bill before Congress, there is broad support among Americans—Democrats, Republicans and independents alike—for the major provisions in the legislation, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Taking a pragmatic view on a divisive issue, a large majority of Americans want to change the immigration laws to allow illegal immigrants to gain legal status and to create a new guest worker program to meet future labor demands, the poll found.

At the same time, Americans have mixed feelings about whether the recent wave of immigration has been beneficial to the country, the survey found, and they are sharply divided over how open the United States should be to future immigrants.